Wine Library Pass- Game Changer

[mike_pobega]

More Pinots from Bien Nacido, Anderson Valley and Ribbon Ridge.

I want to thirty-five dollar myself to death…

[Steve_Eisenhauer]

Yeah. This is all well and good for those of you who have wine shipped from Wine Library, but what about us people that have to drive 3 miles to pick up wine there? What about us?

[Jay_Miller]

@Steve Eisenhauer

Yeah. This is all well and good for those of you who have wine shipped from Wine Library, but what about us people that have to drive 3 miles to pick up wine there? What about us?

At least we have pesto.

[scamhi]

I am weak and bought a pass.
I purchased once in 2014 from WL and I paid $15.00 to ship 6 bottles.

[Diane_Kessler]

@scamhi

I am weak and bought a pass.
I purchased once in 2014 from WL and I paid $15.00 to ship 6 bottles.

Are they shipping to NY again? I stopped looking when they stopped shipping to us.

[Greg_Smith]

Bums me out a bit that I missed this on BD. Went back over their offer and saw it was added midway through their thread. I would have bought one as it looks like a good deal especially if their prices are going to get more competitive.

[GregT]

That seems to have been over after a very short spell.

Didn’t see the GaryV comment so that’s good news. Good move all around. It’s not that their prices were “bad” necessarily and sometimes the Cinderella prices were stellar, but as others have mentioned, shipping costs add up.

[scamhi]

@Diane Kessler

@scamhi

I am weak and bought a pass.
I purchased once in 2014 from WL and I paid $15.00 to ship 6 bottles.

Are they shipping to NY again? I stopped looking when they stopped shipping to us.

I am clueless and no they don’t ship to NY.

[Neal.Mollen]

@Ian Dorin

@Rob Weaver

I went for this yesterday as one of my few BD purchases. I love the idea of being able to buy 1 bottle of something to try without the significant overhead of shipping.

The other deal I went for yesterday was the 2010 Talenti that Wine Library was offering. Shipping on that was going to be $19, so I bought the pass first, then went back and bought the Talenti.

Like a kid in a candy store, I went looking for other stuff to buy, but as others have said the prices are not what they used to be.

The lower price trend will continue, and will be more prevalent over the next month or two. We just did inventory yesterday, and the store is pretty much a blank piece of paper right now. We are going to thoughtfully restock. Gary has been working his tail off behind the scenes to make sure that we dominate in 2015, and pricing is obviously a critical factor.

Thanks all for the feedback! We are digesting all of it, good or bad, so keep it coming!!!

An excellent idea, Ian. You guys have always been brilliant marketers, so I expect no less.

For me, as an east coaster, because paying for shipping on an as-needed basis is less expensive, the value of a one-time fee for shipping is less obvious than it might be for those out west. But I am definitely considering it. And it most certainly would have the desired impact of channeling more of my purchasing towards WL.

The thing holding me back is the carve-out. I am interested in what you expect to have in this category; if it is an ad hoc determination based on margin, that would discourage me. If it is a more programmatic decision (we won;t offer this on wines below or above a certain price or from a particular distributor or some such) then I might be able to decide more easily whether it makes sense.

[Loren_Sonkin]

Thanks. Sometimes I want one bottle of something and shipping makes it a lot more expensive. This will certainly get me to spend dollars allocated for other stores at WL.

[Peter_Metzger]

@Neal.Mollen

The thing holding me back is the carve-out. I am interested in what you expect to have in this category; if it is an ad hoc determination based on margin, that would discourage me. If it is a more programmatic decision (we won;t offer this on wines below or above a certain price or from a particular distributor or some such) then I might be able to decide more easily whether it makes sense.

I initially balked for that reason too, but I figured for $25, the risk was minimal so I bought it. I since have filled my cart with 17 various barolos and barbarescos (not buying them all), most of which were eligible for the free shipping. However, whether its illustrative or not, the following wines in my cart will not ship for free:

Pio Cesare Barolo 2010 (all the other 2010’s I had selected were eligible)
Brovia Rocche Barolo 2009
Brovia Villero Barolo 2009

I also now notice that I can go online and see the other wines for which shipping is not free (not sure if you have to sign up to see this). No obvious price point basis – a $19 bottle is not eligible, while a $600 bottle is.

[Jay_Miller]

@scamhi

@Diane Kessler

@scamhi

I am weak and bought a pass.
I purchased once in 2014 from WL and I paid $15.00 to ship 6 bottles.

Are they shipping to NY again? I stopped looking when they stopped shipping to us.

I am clueless and no they don’t ship to NY.

Suzanne - if you ever need something picked up from WL (or delivered to a NJ address) just let me know.

[Neal.Mollen]

@Peter Metzger

@Neal.Mollen

The thing holding me back is the carve-out. I am interested in what you expect to have in this category; if it is an ad hoc determination based on margin, that would discourage me. If it is a more programmatic decision (we won;t offer this on wines below or above a certain price or from a particular distributor or some such) then I might be able to decide more easily whether it makes sense.

I initially balked for that reason too, but I figured for $25, the risk was minimal so I bought it. I since have filled my cart with 17 various barolos and barbarescos (not buying them all), most of which were eligible for the free shipping. However, whether its illustrative or not, the following wines in my cart will not ship for free:

Pio Cesare Barolo 2010 (all the other 2010’s I had selected were eligible)
Brovia Rocche Barolo 2009
Brovia Villero Barolo 2009

I also now notice that I can go online and see the other wines for which shipping is not free (not sure if you have to sign up to see this). No obvious price point basis – a $19 bottle is not eligible, while a $600 bottle is.

If I had seen the $25 deal, I almost certainly would have done it.

[Taylor_Broussard]

@Neal.Mollen

If I had seen the $25 deal, I almost certainly would have done it.

Neal, I believe they re-activated the promo code. You should still be able to get it for $25.

[Neal.Mollen]

@Taylor Broussard

@Neal.Mollen

If I had seen the $25 deal, I almost certainly would have done it.

Neal, I believe they re-activated the promo code. You should still be able to get it for $25.

Done. Thx

[Tim_Heaton]

This is a stroke of genius. Some great strategy here. I can see a my purchases through other online retailers taking a pretty big nosedive, and my heretofore limited purchases with WL increasing by the same amount. Really looking forward to the stated goals of better selection and prices in 2015.

[Jim_Erwin]

I went for the pass based on:
Average 72 btl/year purchased from WL
Average $3.50/btl shipping based on 6 btl orders
Average $250/yr shipping cost
Library pass cost $50
Savings $200/year minimum
The biggest incentive for me is that I can place more orders of 2,3,or 4 bottles without a shipping cost penalty.
The biggest incentive for WL is that my total annual purchases are very likely to increase significantly.
Win-Win

[K_e_v_i_n_B]

echoing other jealous locals… can’t wait to see what GV has in store for us… (though you free shipping bastards better not double dip!

It does seem like a smart move business wise, and a no brainer to those who need to ship… just wondering how this strategy, combined with the stated goal to lower pricing will play out… frankly, if usage of the library pass takes off, they seem to be at odds with each other as WL will potentially be eating an ever larger amount of shipping, while at the same time seemingly lowering their margins…

OTOH, if it does has a significant impact on sales, I guess they can negotiate better pricing from distributors and thus maintain margins while lowing prices…

[T_Melloni]

The WL hook caught this fish three times for bersrkrfst.
First was the invite to bersrkers to sign up for email alerts for free shipping. So I go in for a case. Next, the offer for the 2010Baudana Barolo at $35. Then, the Library Pass for $25.

Ian - You caught this fish out of the ocean three times. Nice.

[Daniel_Mattisson]

I always hold orders until I have cases that can ship. Figure I’m either saving myself or WL money. 80% of my purchases go there already. Fantastic service and good selection.

Hopefully we’ll be seeing a bigger selection of some geekier regions - Loire, Etna, Alto Piemonte, Jura, more back vintages…